The Tubes, Jesus Bongo, 1973

An early Tubes performance on KEMO TV San Francisco.
Early Timeline for The Tubes
*1969, Prairie Prince is accepted to the Art Institute in San Francisco. Moves with his band The Red, White and Blues band which includes guitarist Roger Steen and bassist David Killingsworth. Michael Cotten also is accepted to the Institute.
*1970, Red, white and Blues Band changes name to "Arizon" and performs at The World's Fair in Osaka, Japan.
*The Beans; Bill Spooner, Vince Welnick, Rick Anderson and Drummer Bob Macintosh move to San Francisco. Crash at the Red White and Blues band house, the "Noriega Hilton" after getting booted from their house.
*David Killingsworth leaves RWB band, Roger, Prairie and roadie Fee Waybill join Beans onstage as "Radar Men from Uranus" during several gigs at the Art Institute.
*1972-73 The two bands join forces with roadie Waybill as different characters, perform themed sets at Chatue Liberte'and Uncle Sams. Themed sets of music include a Country set as "Cowboy Fee", a Rock set as "Rod Plant" and Funk set as "Jesus Bongo"

[@overdrive250]

Fee Waybill is hillarious,one of the great frontmen of rock!

[@thegreenman4898]

that aint waybill

[@1guitar12]

the green man Then who G-man? Looks like Fee ta me

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

@@thegreenman4898 Are you deaf. lol

[@twinsmm1]

@@thegreenman4898yes. It is.

[@davestevens4193]

RIP Rick

[@naiyalexic]

I'm surprised at how many people don't know or get this band.

[@dedeshamel]

Love You Cotten!!!!! GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

[@XISTH]

Priceless and hilarious ! Fee looks like a cross between Kevin Rowland and Arthur Daley doing a JB impression. Sputnik's sideburns are monstrous. Track sounds like Bill Frisell's 'Alias' at the beginning.

[@DaveTurnerBassGuitar]

Rick appears to be channeling Ming the Merciless for this one . . . hilarious!

[@bilfbelf]

This is the greatest video on KZbin and for all time, well sorta...simply amazing!

[@oxeslevy]

@halag his moves arre so natural they nourish my eyes and suddenly the world is a brighter place. thank heavens for fee. x

[@theaformentioned9673]

The Tubes make my brain feel good...

[@andykarn949]

Pure magic

[@BfromPA]

I agree! And he is also has a great voice to go with it!

[@randygray8921]

Going to see them in August, been 40 years since I saw them.

[@mozartfx1]

@halag This is how bands are supposed to work. They play gig after gig and grow and learn and then they hit their stride. Nowadays, if a bands first album isn't a huge success, they're written off and not given time to grow. Say what you will about record companies in the 70's, but they signed bands to 3 album deals, put them on the road, and got their songs on the radio.

[@zebonaut]

Fees Footwork...WOW! He could MOVE!! ..

[@ivanrainbird2416]

this really is talent great voice and the band are excellent rock plus a bit jazzy

[@solarwave]

Old Tubes are the best Tubes.

[@911truthfarmer]

All I can say is WOW. Never seen this period. Heard some demos, never saw these vids. Crazy man, CRAZY!

[@prudencem.6182]

I lived in San Francisco in 1973 . The "blue eyed dork funk" craze was short lived but it was great while it lasted

[@bobburns3311]

Awesome!

[@56BUICKRiviera]

kemo was my favorite station.

[@fabiosparago]

Genio allo stato puro! Simply fantastic, almost 40 years ago!!

[@tonfan]

@deepsalth2o omg I was at one of those Uncle Sams gigs-it was a life altering event...maybe 40 people in the audience but they pulled out all the stops.I'd never heard of them before- I was stunned..awestruck....Epic starpower on a tiny stage in Sebastopol,1975 I think it was....

[@JeffWeavil]

GREAT STUFF! THANKS for sharing

[@JeffEdwardsHarvestmeister]

Too cool... absolutely, positively cannot wait for The Project!

[@einaroneeye]

Wow, pretty cool footage, never saw this side of the Tubes before. Fee has the funky moves, no?

[@Cyrius01]

Oh my God - Michael Jackson saw this clip and modeled his 80s image on Fee!!! Can you believe it?? MJ looking for something cool to imitate.. finds the coolest dude around.

[@marcuspun3822]

oh this is a treasure!!!

[@Paulsworks]

@lilnetty2 Well put dude/dudette.......ALL true......I've been learning from Fee's performances since 1973. He truly is the SHIT.

[@billbillsin2065]

been listening for an hour on loop . now i feel totally funka and dorka fied . i feel so good i can't stand it .

[@howardsternssmicrophone9332]

That side shuffle dude does at the beginning just kills me everytime. I showed this to my girlfriend and she said I was crazy.

[@jillmasters8491]

Fee with Vince's shades!

[@MrCalpont]

Semplicemente stupendi!

[@henrykrinkle7050]

great dork funk music

[@SmittyHeWasNumber1]

Man, this is intense. Fee looks like Spongebob in the rock song in the movie The Spongebob Movie , you know? When he was playing guitar? Sputnik looks like a rocking dude with his smelly jumpsuit and flying V.

[@joeys5429]

tubes at their best

[@anthropomorphicpinsneedles4321]

i possess " the gift " . I can see the late great James Brown's specter floating above Fee , pullin all the right strings

[@AORCrazy]

You all don't understand, they play like academics but they don't care and think how they'll look, they're natural and having fun, that's the point!

[@coffeecigarettes3367]

spaz funk , i love it

[@JeanMarcLederman]

fee's face on this one is just WOWowowowoowOWOOWOwoowowo :)

[@hashysh13]

Absolutely too cool. Keep 'em comin' Mike! Cannot wait for the finished film.

[@pumkinbreath]

they you use to do a James Brown medley of give it uppa and get uppa . I guess this video is proof of that .. thanks for sharing .

[@gunsandyoga]

Oh, anybody seen the bridge? Very cool...

[@herbstencil]

❤ the Tubes. I ain't got no planet

[@Belexes]

Great! Thanks for this!

[@herbstencil]

"...but when Roger Steen plays 'em"

[@upstateguitar]

Great clip - good to get the backstory on this awesome band.

[@itwentmissing490]

Fee Waybill - King of spastic funk

[@feelingsogood6073]

you never knocked me down

[@kdogg38]

Excellent show tonight in Tucson. Still love the FeeFee Brown stuff. Hit Me....

[@moe9196]

can i get a witness ! somebody help me now ! good gawd !

[@vargaso]

Wow. This is fucking incredible. Musically, of course, but check out Fee's look and then check out the year. 1973. Ahead of their time, just a bit.

[@eltonduck]

nice getup on Gator! Bill was 23!

[@alastairjr44]

James Brown feel

[@twinsmm1]

Wow, They really gave JB a run for his money. The Tubes can funk it up all night.

[@joeys5429]

fee pretty slick on his feet

[@Margie_Ellis]

0:14 so stinking cute!

[@multipersonas8858]

i can't help myself . i gotta get up and do the funky chicken

[@santyrush]

why the Tubes don`t make this show now on live concerts????

[@soulbrother6895]

do dat funky chicken white boy !

[@tommyrock69]

Nice Mutton Chops Bill!

[@howardsternssmicrophone9332]

It's was a far out scene back then. Ya dig?

[@HSECMAN]

he looks like Kramer trying to imitate James Brown

[@moe9196]

james brown would be proud

[@raymondfiammetta72]

They look like DEVO.

[@tonymctony4551]

Those guys are dorks

[@baileyruel1985]

@@tonymctony4551DEVO are actually audio/visual geniuses, thank you very very much!

[@roland8578]

Where is James Brown?

[@moe9196]

this is for all you funky jesus freaks out there . enjoy & praise dee lawd

[@bradfordpauler2538]

Roxy music, hippie stuff, glam, so called proto punk new wave experimental and whatever else I forgot to leave out - all in one...! Oh yeah, so called ''shock'' ? Who cares? Their music was good enough.

[@soulbrother6895]

those boys lay down the funk pretty good for special ed failures

[@JohnDoe-wo1jd]

greaser , nerd funk at its finest

[@halag]

they're a lot better if you dont actually watch them and just listen. The singer is NOT moving naturally, thats why he looks so bad, he's trying to be something he isnt. And sorry his vocals are mediocre at best. The band is tight tho and frankly he does nothing for them

[@marjorieanderson8626]

You apparently don't get the Tubes. They do a lot of parody as part of their act. You'd think someone could figure this out with the get ups they are wearing here.

[@chrisdugan8167]

Never heard the TUBES funk out....

[@pumkinbreath]

RiP Rick Anderson